


A Place Like This

by slartibartfast



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/F, Female Anti-Hero, Femslash, Teamwork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-19
Updated: 2011-01-19
Packaged: 2017-10-14 21:42:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/153748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slartibartfast/pseuds/slartibartfast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not the kind of place Faith would usually go, even with a hot chick on her arm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Place Like This

**Author's Note:**

  * For [voleuse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/voleuse/gifts).



It's not the kind of place Faith would usually go, even with a hot chick on her arm. There's no stench of day old beer or week-old armpit, muted only by the second-hand smoke and pungent perfume. There were no lecherous fingers seeking Faith's tightly-dressed body, no screams as she broke their bones like twigs. This place was all light, rose-flushed, scattered with tall glasses of expensive drinks made more of ice than liquid.

And the music was stupid.

"How are we supposed to dance to this?" Faith complained, squirming uncomfortable in the loose skirt and jacket that Justine had forced upon her.

"We're not," Justine replied. The low hum of uninteresting, arrhythmic jazz mingled perfectly with the low murmur of conversation around them, if your idea of perfect was discordant white noise. "Relax, Faith. The world won't explode if you stay still for five minutes."

"The world won't," Faith said. "I might."

Justine's hand touched Faith's wrist. Despite her pristine appearance in the slick black pant-suit, Faith noted the grave dirt beneath her bitten-down fingernails. It gave her a flare of satisfaction though she wasn't sure why. "Get used to it. We played things your way and now it's my turn. You're supposed to trust me, remember?"

It was fair, but Faith wasn't great at fair. She huffed and settled back in her postureless chair and sipped her drink. She grimaced. "I would kill for a beer."

"Hope you don't mean that literally," Justine said.

Faith raised an eyebrow, but Justine's smile said enough not to need clarification. So they were at the stage of joking about their mutual histories in homicide. Good to know. Until a couple of weeks ago, Justine still went pale at the mention of Holtz, even though it had been nearly three years. Faith patted the hand on her arm once and stood. "No murder tonight, I promise. Not until we find the vamp anyway."

"Where are you going? You said we could –"

"Yeah yeah, try it your way, I got it," Faith said. She took a step back and grinned, raising her hands palm-flat. "I'm getting a beer. My drink tastes like a fairy took a shit in it. You want one?"

Justine shook her head. "Just don't draw attention to us."

Faith shrugged and turned. They both knew Faith would bring back Justine's favourite whiskey anyway.

The fresh-faced woman behind the bar was maybe a few years younger than Faith. Faith grinned, leaned across the bar, and turned up the charm. When the woman handed her the whiskey and the beer in a tall, crystalline glass, she winked in return.

Success. Faith blew her an over-the-top kiss and sauntered back to Justine.

Justine's glare was of pure thunder. Her fingers were tight around the dainty glass, knuckles pale, and her jaw was set in an unforgiving line.

Something squirmed in Faith's stomach but she grinned anyway. "C'mon, you can't be jealous. One drunken grope doesn't make us –"

"I can't believe Mr. Giles sent _you_ to watch _me_ when you miss the fucking obvious," Justine interrupted. "You're a slayer. I'm just human and even I noticed –"

"That the barmaid is Louise? Yeah, I know," Faith said. She shrugged and took a deep sip of her beer with a shamelessly satisfied noise. "She's our vamp. I'm not stupid but right now I'm kinda suspicious. How did you know she'd be here?"

Justine crossed her arms and looked away from Faith's piercing stare. "She worked here. My sister went back to her night shift when she was killed," Justine said. "She worked in a hospital. Easy access to blood. A place like this is full of willing victims."

It was rare Justine talked about her twin sister. Since Faith had been ordered by Giles to keep an eye on the seriously messed up woman who turned up half-broken and lost in a vampire den in London, Justine had only mentioned her twice. Faith had heard most of the story from Giles. The perpetual anger and fear in Justine's eyes told Faith the rest, more than she needed or wanted to know.

The look sharpened into focused intent when they got near a vampire. Faith watched it now, the fierce anger that made her such a ruthless fighter even without slayer strength. Faith had assumed this arrangement would end in blood and guts over her best boots but so far Justine had held her own. Aside from a few scrapes, Justine had shown resilience some of the newer slayers couldn't hope to achieve without years of training.

Of course, Justine _did_ have years on her back. The sad lines on her face and the long scar across her arm showed that well enough. And she didn't have super-strength to fall back on; she was a hardened soldier like no person should have to be.

It took a lot to impress Faith. Justine didn't even have to try.

"You made yourself bait," Justine said. She wasn't stupid either and Faith smirked. Justine shook her head. "You're an idiot. That's never going to work."

Faith waved a hand dismissively and glanced sideways towards the bar. She leaned forward abruptly and drank down a good half of her pint in a few seconds. Justine would have said something or possibly taken on the vamp herself but at that moment, Louise appeared beside Faith's chair. "You girls okay?" she said with eyes only for Faith.

"We're excellent. I was about to grab a breath of fresh air outside while my cousin watches my drinks, though. Want to join me?" Faith said.

Justine stared. Faith's voice had smoothed out effortlessly into something entirely unrecognisable and of course, Faith would erase her American accent in a hunt, bury any risk of standing out in any way that didn't involve cleavage.

The fight was quick. Louise was a young vampire and inexperienced; Faith kissed her while Justine slunk out from behind the dumpster and held the struggling ice-cold woman as she thrashed. The stake sank easily through the sparkling lace top and it was over. Justine dusted herself down.

"I was hoping for a more exciting fight," Faith said, pulling a face as she tucked away her stake.

"Maybe you should expend all that pent up energy in something else," Justine said, casually as anything and utterly straight-faced. "What? You're right. I was jealous. Don't pretend you didn't do that on purpose."

"No idea what you're talking about," Faith lied. She grinned and crowded into Justine, pressing her back against the sticky damp brick wall. "These clothes are stupid. Let's get out of them."

"Just answer one question."

Faith raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"When the hell did you learn to do a British accent?"


End file.
